The present invention relates to refrigerated or frozen food display cases, and particularly of the roll-in type. As used herein, the terms refrigerated food and cases include both frozen food and cases (maintained at temperatures below 32.degree. F.) and food and cases maintained above 32.degree. F., such as dairy cases.
The present invention is particularly suited for supermarket or other commercial installations in which the display case is open at the front to permit continuous and easy consumer access to refrigerated food products contained in the display area.
Previous walk-in type refrigeration systems generally have been designed for special purposes, one system at a time. In designing such systems, numerous compromises had to be made between the display arrangements and duct work in the system. This, of course, necessitated that a different type of refrigerator be designed and built each time a different type of display was desired, thereby significantly increasing the cost of each system. Furthermore, since each system was designed separately this also affected the reliability of the system.
Various types of open front refrigerated display cases are known. Some examples described in the patent literature include: Henderson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,450,088; Swanson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,137; Kennedy, U.S. Pat. No. 2,961,845; Barroero, U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,875; Rainwater, U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,085; Detwiler, U.S. Pat. No. 2,993,349; Jacobs, U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,691; Mathis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,274; Fanick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,063,225; Richman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,988; Wile, U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,737; Jarvis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,738; Brennan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,295; and Rainwater, U.S. Pat. No. 3,690,118. Two open front refrigerated display cases of particular interest that are assigned to the same assignee as the present application are: Myers et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,697, and Kennedy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,378.